Mason Murer Fine Art on Armour Drive in Buckhead will set the scene for the Night of Hope gala Friday to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America’s Georgia chapter.

The evening will include fabulous food, live and silent auctions, a mission call and live entertainment as it spotlights distinguished 2013 honorees. They are: Sherry and Pat Henry, recipients of the Mary Cann Achievement Award for outstanding volunteer service, and Kathi Caldwell and Kelly Reynolds, receivers of the Tomica Gill Courage Award in memory of their sister, Bonnie Ta Hunyh.

The nonprofit foundation creates awareness and hope for the 55,000 Georgians living with lupus. Ninety percent of every dollar donated to the inspiring gala stays in Georgia to ensure the chapter continues to provide and expand free educational programs, advocacy, awareness and research efforts. The symposiums, teleconferences, support groups and research are a lifeline and voice of hope to lupus sufferers.

Inspired by the Michael C. Carlos Museum’s temporary exhibition, “Antichità, Teatro, Magnificenza: Renaissance and Baroque Images of Rome,” young professional members supporting the Emory University campus’ museum are hosting the Bacchanal 20 evening Saturday to transport guests to the streets of the Eternal City and raise funds for the museum’s educational programs.

With an open bar, culinary delights from Atlanta’s best caterers, a DJ spinning music, sensational raffle items and a ’60s mod theme, there’s no better way to party and have an after-hours private viewing of the exceptional history-centered Roman exhibit.

Emory’s collections date back to 1876, when a museum was established on the original university campus in Oxford, Ga. Since that time the growth has matched the expansion of Emory as the main museum complex relocated to Atlanta as a teaching and research institution. From the 19th-century acquisitions of Asian material by Methodist missionaries to the early 20th-century acquisitions to the more recent acquisitions developed to support the university’s strengths in Latin American, African, Classical and Middle Eastern Studies, the museum has a distinguished history of providing opportunities for scholars in many disciplines to expand their work.

It is now one of the Southeast’s premier ancient art museums with major collections of art objects from Egypt, Nubia, Near East, Greece, Rome, ancient Americas, Africa and Asia. In addition to the art collections the Carlos presents a distinguished exhibition calendar, operates a teaching laboratory and conservation center and develops highly regarded educational programs for both the university and the Atlanta community.

Neiman Marcus at Lenox Square mall in Buckhead will host the free Children’s Fashion Show Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. on the second level outside the mall entrance. The event will announce and support the Atlanta Speech School Guild’s Language & Literacy Gala, set for Nov. 17 at Capitol City Club in Brookhaven.

“This is a particularly special lead-up event because the very first Speech School Gala took place at the Neiman Marcus store in 1973 — the Atlanta store opened in the summer of 1972 and our volunteer guild had just been formed,” Gala Co-Chairwoman Liza Jancik said. “We are thrilled to celebrate the long-standing relationship with Neiman Marcus and commemorate the 40th anniversary of our gala with this public preview of fall fashions for children.”

In addition to sharing co-chairwoman duties with Mary Anne Massie, Jancik will also be one of the “reunion legacy” attendees at the fashion show. She was a model in one of the early Neiman Marcus children’s shows when her mother, Jane Lanier, was a volunteer for the gala. Guild members Dana Carpenter, Amy Douglass and Temple McLanahan are coordinating the Neiman Marcus event.

Open to the public, the afternoon fashion presentation, including Sweet Treats refreshments, will feature the Buckhead school’s students. It will also bring together past and present guild members, children, parents, volunteers and the broader Atlanta community to support the 40th anniversary gala, the longest continually running holiday fundraiser in Atlanta.

Neiman’s will donate a portion of the children’s clothing sales during the fashion show directly to the gala’s fund.

The guild provides the school with financial support, classroom and library volunteers, and works to generate community interest in the school and its services. Yancey McCollum is the current guild president.

The school is the nation’s most comprehensive language center for children and adults. Established in 1938, the campus, now on Northside Parkway, has four schools, five clinics, a summer program and a professional development center for participants to reach their full potential through language and literacy.

Proceeds from the guild fundraising efforts support the school’s financial aid program. This year it will award more than $2 million in financial aid so that no child in need of the school’s services will be turned away.

The High Museum of Art in Midtown will initiate the 18th annual High Arts Day Tuesday on its main campus on Peachtree Street.

Since the public event is scheduled for Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., normally a closed day for the museum, ticket-holding participants will have private access to a series of special events and the current exhibits.

First up is mimosas and mingling to view a trunk show featuring luxury items from C. Wonder, a Burch Creative Capital brand, and access to a silent auction of one-of-a-kind items.

Next, guests will join acclaimed chef and author Hugh Acheson for a presentation in the Rich Theatre. Acheson will join the audience for a Parisian-themed, seated luncheon in the Margaretta Taylor Lobby of the Wieland Pavilion at noon with informal modeling of C. Wonder fashions.

The Arts Day will continue with a longstanding tradition: original paintings on canvas will serve as unique centerpieces for the luncheon tables and be available in the silent auction.

After lunch, guests will participate in a private viewing of “The Art of the Louvre’s Tuileries Garden” and can purchase copies of Acheson’s latest book, “A New Turn in the South: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen.”

The High Arts Day is hosted by Art Partners, the museum’s social and volunteer organization, and benefits the general fund. Chairwoman Gemma Napoles is coordinating the special art-centered day.

The vibrant volunteer group supports the nonprofit High in a variety of ways, including general fundraising, along with members’ education and social programming throughout the Southeastern arts community.

A timely fashion show on the lower level of Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza in Buckhead Monday will review the best of the wear now holiday/resort 2013-14 collections as guests socialize over champagne and support the Marcus Autism Center in DeKalb County.

The seated luncheon benefit is being co-chaired by Sarah McElroy and Kimbrell Stribling with funds designated for the nonprofit center.

It is an affiliate of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta that treats more than 5,600 children with autism and related disorders each year. As one of the largest autism centers in the U.S. and one of only three National Institutes of Health Autism Centers of Excellence, the facility offers families access to the latest research, evaluation and intensive behavior treatments.

Research grants aim to maximize the potential of children with autism and transform the nature of autism for future generations.

Paws for Cocktails will be a fun-loving evening Nov. 7 at the Park Tavern on 10th Street in Midtown.

Party animals will meet celebrities, sample fabulous hors d’oeuvres and enjoy drinks, groove to live music by Yacht Rock Schooner and bid on irresistible treasures in live and silent auctions.

Master of fun and ceremonies will be Chuck Dowdle, retired WSB-TV sports director/anchor. He is now the sideline reporter for the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network and serves as the host of both the postgame radio “Locker Room Show” with head coach Mark Richt and the “Inside Georgia Football with Mark Richt” weekly television show.

Partygoers can chat with celebrities including John Bachman, WSB-TV anchor and reporter; Kaedy Kiely, longtime Atlanta radio personality and morning DJ at 97.1 The River; Channel 2 traffic anchor and radio talk show host Mark Arum and other members of the WSB-TV team.

All of the party proceeds go directly to support Furkids’ good deeds for four-legged friends. Elizabeth Azar is first in the lineup of a dozen dedicated committee hosts for the evening.

Furkids is one of the most successful animal rescue nonprofits in the Southeast, operating the largest cage-free shelter for homeless cats in Georgia, a no-kill shelter for dogs, pet adoption programs through 13 Petco and PetSmart stores and a network of foster homes. Furkids cares for more animals than any other animal group in the Southeast — assisting more than 600 animals a day.

Tickets will be available at the door for $25. Tickets are only $18 if purchased before Monday.

Opening just in time for holiday gift buying, the annual “Little Things Mean a Lot” exhibit-sale Nov. 7 through Jan. 4 at the Swan Coach House Gallery on Slaton Drive in Buckhead will offer a variety of original art in small proportions at affordable prices.

In an effort to be inclusive, a new group of artists is invited to participate in this 14th annual exhibit, Curator Marianne Lambert said. The walls will feature 300 small creations in a variety of mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, fiber and ceramics. As pieces sell, they will be replaced with other works by the same artists, creating an “ever-evolving exhibition.”

The exhibit is sponsored by Forward Arts Foundation member Eleanor A. Barton.

The foundation was established in 1965 by a group of extraordinary women in Atlanta. The distinguished art patrons’ leadership was matched by their determination and transformed the carriage house of the historic Swan House estate on the Atlanta History Center campus into a thriving restaurant, gift shop and art gallery. The three entities are administered by the nonprofit foundation, which supports the visual arts community in Atlanta.

The Vinings Historic Preservation Society will celebrate its 20th anniversary Nov. 9 with the black-tie optional Celebration of Preservation gala at The Pace House and The Old Pavilion on Paces Mill Road.

The evening commemorating the society’s preservation efforts will feature an elegant cocktail reception and a seated dinner by Saratoga Event Group and Avenue Catering Concepts with special entertainment by Terry Lee and the GTs.

The family of the late Felix Cochran, developer of the Vinings Jubilee, will be honored. Proceeds will go to the Keeping Pace capital campaign for renovations and repairs to the three historic Vinings Village properties: The Pace House, The Old Pavilion and The Yarbrough House.

The co-chairwomen are Holly Gardner, Josie Carlyle and Rebecca McCune.

The volunteer nonprofit society’s mission is to educate the public about local history and help preserve and maintain historic architecture in the Vinings area. The organization maintains a museum of Vinings’ history among the three main facilities and collects and displays artifacts and memorabilia from the founding families as it preserves the historic and aesthetic integrity of the unique community.

Proceeds from this year’s event will go toward the goal of $250,000 for the restoration of the society’s three historic properties.

Tickets and information: (770) 432-3343, or www.vinings.org for information only.

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The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum on Spring Street in Midtown is partnering with the Atlanta Opera Nov. 9 to present the first in a three-concert series celebrating Jewish contributions to music.

Held in the intimate space of the museum’s auditorium, the three Molly Blank Jewish Concert Series performances will feature maestro Arthur Fagen, the opera’s esteemed musical director, and leading musicians and vocalists from throughout the Southeast.

The initial Saturday evening performance, “Music of the Holocaust: Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht,” has special significance to Fagen, whose parents were saved from German persecution by the legendary Oskar Schindler. The program will include chamber music interwoven with a selection of visual images and readings prepared by the museum’s Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education.

The next two concerts are set for Jan. 19 will highlight Jewish composers of the 19th and 20th centuries and the March 9 “The Best of Broadway.”

The umbrella sponsorship of the new concert series is made possible through a generous grant from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation — named after Blank’s mother, Molly Blank, a lifetime lover of music. Additional support is being provided by the Schwob Family Foundation and the Georgia Council for the Arts.

Seating is limited and ticket funds will go toward the music performances.

The origins of the Breman come from a 1983 exhibit organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and titled “Jews and Georgians: A Meeting of Cultures, 1733-1983.” When the exhibit was dismantled, the Jewish community saw a need for a permanent space dedicated to the interpretation and preservation of the Jewish experience.

The present nonprofit museum became a reality in 1992 when Atlanta philanthropist William Breman gave the lead gift. Opening in 1996 at the Selig Center on Spring Street, the museum includes one signature permanent exhibit, “The Absence of Humanity: The Holocaust Years, 1933-1945,” and several on-loan exhibition space along with the Cuba Family Archives, a genealogy center, an auditorium and the Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education.

ArtCAN, taking place Nov. 9 at the Atlanta Ballet’s Michael C. Carlos Dance Centre on Marietta Boulevard in west Buckhead/west Midtown, is a unique and original fundraising social event featuring performances from selected visual and performing artists from around the world who have been closely affected by cancer.

The main event of the evening of hors d’oeuvres, signature cocktails and culinary delights by Tony Conway’s A Legendary Event will feature original artistic performances by the new art partners plus keynote addresses by two pathology professors: Dr. Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Dr. Volkan Adsay of Emory University in DeKalb County.

This year’s unprecedented collaboration of the performing and visual arts is bringing together partnerships with the Atlanta Ballet, Atlanta Opera, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Alliance Theatre at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit Joseph C. Monastra Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, which supports critical cancer research at both Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.

Known as the “silent killer,” pancreatic cancer has the number one fatality rate of all cancers and is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths among both men and women.

The evening’s emcee is John Lemley of WABE/National Public Radio, with background music by DJ Teknology along with a fine art auction featuring works by local and international artists to further the foundation’s mission.

The nonprofit home opened in 1951 on 14th Street in Midtown, moved in 1971 to the present Buckhead campus on Howell Mill Road and completed a state-of-the-art multi-use facility in 1999. Today the complex for seniors includes independent-living apartments, a skilled nursing facility serving both long- and short-term residents and the Aviv Rehabilitation Center.

During the building years, the auxiliary became the energetic volunteer and fundraising arm of the home and continues to provide meaningful activities that help make residents feel happy and at ease. Members host a major benefit every other year to raise funds to provide the important “extras” which enhance the quality of life for residents at the Breman complex.

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